African trade unions on Wednesday called for an urgent commission of inquiry into the causes of recent attacks on black migrant workers living in Libya.

A statement issued here at the end of a three-day Executive Board of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions-African Regional Organization (ICFTU-AFRO) said that ICFTU-AFRO and the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions (ICATU) should be included in the inquiry.

Dozens of people have been reported killed in a wave of terror directed against blacks from sub-Saharan Africa, while more than 6,000 people have been deported to Nigeria and more than 3,000 to Ghana.

"The ICFTU-AFRO urges the Libyan authorities to urgently take measures to ensure that the perpetrators of the criminal acts are brought to book and that the victims are compensated, security of all migrant workers is guaranteed and their right to unionization is respected," the statement said.

"The government of Libya should also uphold and respect internationally accepted labor standards," the statement said -- NAIROBI (AFP)